Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker Review - Stars Shining Brightly
Sea of Stars kicks arse. I knew it was good, but when I was offered to review the DLC, I wanted context, so I played the entire base game. The whole time, I thought exactly that. “This kicks arse”. I didn’t have the slow burn of the wait for the DLC, but I was hungry for it nonetheless.
Loading into my save, I was greeted with a letter that started me out on my quest.
As the name suggests, Throes of the Watchmaker focuses on a character who doesn’t get as much love as I would have liked in the main story—actually, two characters. I love how much they give a tasty little snippet during the main game and actually loop back to it. Shows actual forethought for plot points in a way I can really get behind.
After some brief words (and a well-placed teleporter), you’re thrust into the watchmaker’s secret world, a place which is both circus-themed and corrupted by evil. You quickly learn that the new world doesn’t have the same rules as the old one, though. Your attacks are weak, and enemies do a lot of damage. A new world requires a new outlook. After some brief readjustment and some putting aside of your pride, the two Solstice Warriors will lean into the circus aesthetic and become their two new roles; Acrobat and Juggler. These two new jobs come with new skills, new combo skills, new animations. The whole nine yards.
The thing that surprised me more than anything is the sheer scope and polish of the DLC. It clocks in at around 8 hours, but during that time you’ll see a bunch of new and exciting places, get to play minigames based on all your new skills, play more Wheels and do more fishing. There’s a lot of stuff here. It’s all such a cohesive vibe, too, it’s actually incredible. One early boss fight gave me the exact interaction I’d want from it, and I was hooting when it happened. You’ll know it when you see it.
Interestingly, the game is more difficult than I’d expected. Due to not having your previous skills or gear, having to learn new timings for new skills, and not having access to your old healing items, it took me a bit to find my stride. Of course, Sea of Stars has the ability to use relics to tailor your experience, should you wish to futz with the difficulty.
In comparison to the base game, Zale and Valere get a bit more narrative focus this time around. I found their story a little wanting previously, but here, where they’re forced to grapple with their evil twin, it gives them a more interesting sheen. They actually feel like characters more now.
In accordance with the new aesthetic, levelling up has also changed. Where previously you would level up and choose skill points, now you earn ‘renown’, where your skill makes you more famous. After a short scene on the stage, all the levelling will be done automatically. It’s a small change, but it feels really nice. The renown is capped at six, but you’ll do it constantly enough that it feels rewarding to get new skills to use, and it really does make a big difference in battle.
Throes of the Watchmaker looks a bit more closely at a few of the characters I wanted to be fleshed out. It’s short, punchy, it’s got a great aesthetic, and it’s a bit more challenging than the base game. More than that, it’s free. I’m baffled it’s free, but it’s free. If you haven’t played Sea of Stars before, this adds more to an already incredible package. You won’t regret the purchase.
Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker was reviewed on PC with code kindly supplied by the publisher.
